Page 4 of Yuletide Orc

Bikkar’s soldiers had paid the price. And my party had betrayed me and left in the aftermath.

Now I alone would face judgement for this mess if I couldn’t escape Bikkar.

Bikkar nudged his horse, and we were off. I was surprised the beast could hold Bikkar’s massive form, but the large horse seemed unfazed. The weight of Bikkar’s muscular arms held mine in place. His chest rose and fell at my back as we rode, his body warming mine. I sat there, restrained by him, the ropes, and the gag in my mouth, unable to do or think about anything other than this current predicament.

I’d hated Bikkar since my party’s first encounter with his tribe. We’d exchanged scars and punches, spilled blood on both sides. Now I was riding with him toward some unknown destination as hisguest. The newness of this peace between us—captured and restrained though I was—sat uneasily with me. It felt like a trap. Unnatural. Like at any moment, those hands could leave the reins and close around my neck.

A jolt of unexpected excitement rolled through me at the thought of his massive hand around my throat. It hit me so hard, my whole body shivered. Bikkar either didn’t notice or chose not to respond because he didn’t question it at all. All I could do was watch his hands before me. Feel his warm body at my back. Feel the riding motion of the horse pressing us together.

Bikkar grunted suddenly as his body went rigid.

I gulped and wanted to ask what had happened, but the gag in my mouth kept me mostly silent.

Bikkar didn’t relax or speak, but I felt a hardness press against my back.

Heat lapped at my cheeks and built between my thighs. A traitorous warmth that I wanted desperately to call the snow around us to freeze away. To stop.

But we kept riding, neither of us speaking aloud about the tension now thick between us. And why would we? We hated each other. And tomorrow, when Yule was over, he’d be delivering me to judgement one way or another.

That thought alone was enough to cut through this fog of arousal. There were only three ways this could possibly end, and only one assured I’d have a chance to explain my case.

I had to escape. Which meant catching Bikkar with his guard down.

I stiffened against him, too, and built my resolve. I’d find that moment and exploit it as best I could to escape. I just had to wait for it.

But too soon we approached a small, roughly-built cabin in the woods. Smoke rose between trees nearby, and I knew instantly that we were on the edge of Bikkar’s tribe’s land. This must have been his cabin. Bikkar had taken me to hishome. He wasn’t joking around about this Yule thing, which made me wonder if he genuinely thought we were both capable of being civil until sunrise tomorrow.

I supposed if he kept me gagged and tied up, then it might be easy.

Bikkar helped me dismount his horse before doing the same and walking both of us to a small, clearly hastily made barn behind his cabin. The main structure itself wasn’t much smaller than the barn. One floor high and maybe big enough for the essentials. But who was I to judge? My party and I had no property, no home. We’d moved around wherever the jobs had led us.

Until today.

I watched from where Bikkar had tied me to a post as he secured and cared for his horse. The entire time he did so, I considered running. But the chances I’d get these ropes offandrun far enough before he noticed were very slim, and any magic might spook the horse.

No, I’d have to wait even longer to try escaping. Which would’ve been fine if maybe we were inside because right now, my teeth chattered fiercely. After at least an hour in the snow following a tumble into it, my clothes were soaked through and the sun wasn’t very warm. My breath spiraled out from my lips on every exhale.

Just when I thought that maybe I’d freeze to death out here, thus disappointing Bikkar, who seemed intent on following his orc Yule tradition despite the disgusted twist in his lips, he returned to untie me. His massive, green fingers brushed my wrists, a caress which caused my breath to hitch.

Bikkar paused for the barest fraction of a second before continuing—thank thegods. I did not want to explain my body’s reaction to this orc, least of all to his face. Bikkar the Bonecrusher was myenemy. Had been for a year. And there was nothing more to it, no matter how well we fought together, dancing in sync like partners, or how actually relieving his warm body had felt against my freezing one.

Bikkar retied my wrists together once I was detached from the post and led me into his cabin. It was as simple inside as I’d expected. One open room with a rough fireplace, some rugs and pillows on the floor in front of it, a bed, some cooking equipment, a table and two chairs, and one door that most likely led to some sort of washroom. Minimal decoration. There wasn’t even a fire going yet, much to my immediate dismay.

Bikkar led me to the rugs in front of the fireplace and forced me to my knees. “Stay.”

As if I had a choice. But—gods—the firm grip he’d had on my shoulder, the view from my knees as I stared up at him?—

No. No, no, no.What the hell was wrong with me? This orc had caused me and my party so much trouble and blood and pain. My party hadkilledmembers of his tribe. I shouldn’t have been thinking of this orc in any other way besides as an enemy, but here my traitorous body was, pooling warmth between my thighs when it should have been anger and vengeance churning in my chest.

I stayed where I was told to as Bikkar removed his heavy leather armor and stowed his weapons away from me. He wore simple fabric clothes underneath in dark shades of brown. His cheeks had a slight redness to them as I was sure mine did from the cold outside.

Bikkar wasted no time starting a fire. He knelt on one knee before the fireplace and stayed there until flames big enough to keep the entire cabin warm roared. Only then did he turn his eyes to me, holding my gaze, for the first time since he’d torn me out of a tree.

I shivered under his emerald gaze, but I was no longer sure if it was from purely cold or unwanted attraction—or both.

“You have caused me much pain, thief mage.” Bikkar shifted until he was sitting cross-legged beside me, but he was so huge that he might as well have been kneeling. “Trust this temporary arrangement is pleasant for neither of us.”

I went to argue againstnotcarrying on with it then, but my words turned into muffled sounds against the gag. So instead, I shot him a glare.

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